Transforming Healthcare through IoT

Wearable devices, remote health monitoring to preventive care, Internet of Things or IoT presents a host of opportunities for the healthcare sector. Read on to find out how this innovative technology can advance the sector

According to a latest report from International Data Corporation (IDC), the worldwide Internet of Things (IoT) market will grow from $655.8 billion in 2014 to $1.7 trillion in 2020 with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 16.9 percent. This technology offers a lot of prospects across different industries. "The healthcare sector is a fast growing IoT market with a host of new tools and technologies. It is expected to improve the quality and efficiency of various healthcare services, but at reduced costs," said Dr Prasant Misra, Senior MTS (Member Technical Staff), Robert Bosch Centre for Cyber Physical Systems, (RBCCPS). Here's a look on how it can do that. Read on...

IoT for Healthcare

The visible and most widespread application of IoT seems to be in the wearable devices, but there are other numerous uses of this technology in the healthcare sector.

IoT can transform healthcare through connecting various equipment, communication systems and software applications that help monitor patient health in real-time. Apart from Remote health monitoring, it can also be of utmost help in assisting elderly in smart homes.

Proactive health monitoring by care givers is another application of IoT says Mr Vinay Nathan, CEO and Co-Founder Altizon Systems, a Pune-based IoT start-up. He added, "Today healthcare equipment providers can monitor their equipment across the globe and diagnose device and patient health through embedded sensors. This goes a long way in increasing detecting anomalies and improving quality of life and health outcomes for patients."